1
as in hopeless
not capable of being cured or reformed
an irretrievable drug addict who had wasted a once-promising life
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irreparable
not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone
this is just an irretrievable mess, so let's start all over again
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of irretrievable
Alcaraz broke the Italian twice, winning the set with an incredible backhand flick from what looked like an irretrievable position and cupping his ear.
—
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
There is a genuinely irretrievable, ephemeral, low-res version of the movie.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 17 May 2025
Lawmakers warn that evidence critical to future war crimes investigations may be irretrievable.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
And there was data that was lost, that was irretrievable.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irretrievable
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
There is a genuinely irretrievable, ephemeral, low-res version of the movie.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 17 May 2025
Lawmakers warn that evidence critical to future war crimes investigations may be irretrievable.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
And there was data that was lost, that was irretrievable.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irretrievable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irretrievable
Adjective
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Other people were staring at the ground, hopeless.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
13 Jan. 2026
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What lies ahead can’t possibly be worse, however, than the embarrassing false starts, the constant churn of organizational dysfunction and the thin, hopeless gruel that Vancouver has served up over the past decade.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The already-frosty relationship between Devers and the front office deteriorated to an irreparable level in May, when Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
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The Rose Bowl and City of Pasadena filed a lawsuit, arguing UCLA’s departure would cause irreparable harm and jeopardize $184 million in bond debt.—
Ben Bolch,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Torney was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer with recurring tumors that eat away at bone marrow, damaging bones and the immune system.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have unlocked a potential new treatment to target an incurable form of childhood cancer with the help of a fast-reproducing pest known for swarming kitchen produce.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Merriam-Webster defines it as the description of someone or something in a state of possibly irreversible misfortune and hardship.—
Brenda Looper,
Washington Post,
8 Jan. 2026
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This not only triggers power struggles and deep psychological shifts, but there could also be irreversible decisions around control, freedom and dynamics within our society.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Broadly speaking, this is probably not irrecoverable damage to the ecosystem.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
19 July 2025
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Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787's engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation.—
Dan Catchpole,
USA Today,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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Time is scarce and unrecoverable, unlike money.—
Brian Page,
CNBC,
26 Dec. 2025
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The contamination can lead to catastrophic engine failure, resulting in a vehicle fire or an unexpected and unrecoverable loss of propulsion.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
17 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The cases in Blair’s book, however gruesome, catalogue methods that our species has used to manage terror, sorrow, and disbelief in the face of the irremediable and unpredictable arrival of death.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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Additionally, the court found that after considering several factors, the government failed to prove that Abrego Garcia poses an irremediable danger to the community.—
Greg Wehner , Bill Mears,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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But the Coop had one thing that failed cooperatives didn’t: Joe Holtz, a gregarious 22-year-old from Sheepshead Bay with a mind for numbers and an incorrigible idealism.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
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Mary Roy, too, married to flee violence—her father, a civil servant under the British, beat his wife and whipped his children—only to find that her husband was an incorrigible drunk.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irretrievable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irretrievable. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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